Order of the Lynel- Hyrule's Wanderers
by Nayaru
Summary: Zeya, an ordinary member of the Yiga Clan, finally decides she's had enough and sets out on her own path, meaning to become an aimless wanderer away from the frantic energy of the Clan. However, she soon discovers it won't be that easy to get some peace and quiet- but what's the thrill of the adventure without the challenge?


It was the day after the hunt when I decided it was time to leave.

Watching the rest of the clan file out, spell tags and weapons in hand, ready to chase down and murder the so called Hero- when did I start to feel like everybody was a slightly crazed lunatic?

The Yiga Clan had always been my family- I was abandoned in the desert near the base as a baby- but now I've just started to feel… disconnected. I feel no need to praise Ganon or spite the Hero's name. It's obvious that things are going to continue to be this was for a long time. What could possibly rival the monstrous cloud that envelops the castle, or the terrifying automatons that are programmed only to kill? I've never seen either of those things- I haven't even really left the base- but I have my doubts that one boy could do it alone.

But that doesn't really matter to me, considering I've decided I want to be a wanderer. Or a traveler. Whatever you want to call it, I guess. I threw my few personal belongings into a bag and took some food from the kitchen, even building up enough courage to sneak a bow from the weapon storeroom, just in case. I kept my outfit and the mask- I might need it if I run into any monsters. We're all on Ganon's side… right? Maybe it's a little bit of sentimental value too.

Anyways, there I was. It's dawn. I'm ready to go. And now, here I am. Outside the base. If I'm being honest, I've never been outside the base in my life. There were outdoor areas of the _base, _to explore and train, but I've never been outdoors _outside _of the base.

It's fascinating. The canyons I've emerged on top of go forever and ever, no matter how far I squint into the distance. A cool breeze whips by, nearly blowing me over in my stupor. This is _amazing. _And I've barely gone three steps. I dare to look down and almost gasp with dizziness and delight. Far, far below me, sand swirls as the breeze reaches it. I swear I see something crawling through it.

I can't just stand here gawking, though. If I want to be a wanderer, I might as well wander. Taking one, two, three deep breaths, I step forward and into the unknown.

After a few minutes of walking, the excitement has already worn off. Everything looks exactly the same, no matter how far I go, and my feet hurt already. Maybe the canyons really _do _go on forever.

I contemplate trying to use of the spell tags I, um, borrowed, but I've never used one before and I have no idea how to because I hadn't gotten to the training stage where we learned how to. I don't want to end up trying to teleport and losing my legs or something. Plus, I have no idea _where _to teleport to. There's not exactly anywhere I know of…

After yet another few minutes of walking and staring at the same orange rocks, I finally see something in the distance. Squinting, I can make out the side of a small hut.

Perfect! Maybe they can point me in the right direction. Or, a direction that isn't miles and miles of canyon-top. I do wonder who would build a house up here, though.

I move at a bit of a faster pace towards the house before remembering what I'm wearing. Most people know of the Yiga Clan, the outside warriors tell us, so that means most self-respecting people won't let me into their house. Annnd I didn't bring a change of clothes.

I decide the best thing I can do is be careful- if I see a normal-looking person, all I can do is take my mask off to make an attempt to look less suspicious. For all I know, though, this could be some kind of Yiga guard house or something- I'm beginning to doubt any sane thing would purposely live up here.

Which is also scary.

But when I finally reach the house I realize that's it's not a living place at all. Half of it's been ravaged, and there's random wooden beams scattered all over the area. The only piece still standing is the side I saw from afar. It's blackened, as if something tried to burn it down.

Uneasiness grips me. What happened here? What if whatever attacked this place... is still here?

I turn in a slow circle, nervously looking for signs of movement or something that would give away the recent tracks of whatever ruined this place. There's nothing except for the slight whisper of the wind. I slowly edge around the side of the standing wall, kicking around in the rubble for a moment to see if anything useful still remains. Unsurprisingly, there's not much to find.

As I search, I run through the names of monsters in my head. Bokoblin. The most common of monsters, and I'm pretty sure they don't have this much destructive tendency or any type of fire magic.

Moblin, Lizalfos… Red Lizalfos only live in Eldin. A lynel? I doubt anything with horse hooves could make its way up these cliffs.

_Am I forgetting something? _

"Bokoblin, Moblin, Lizalfos, Chuchu, Keese, Lynel…" I start muttering under my breath. Frustration is quickly overtaken by curiosity- this is a rather interesting mystery. "What am I missing?" I say out loud. I haven't talked all morning, and the dryness from the elevated air makes my voice croak.

"Wizzrobe, I think," somebody says from behind me.

I just about jump out of my skin. I whip around, expecting to see a bedraggled human standing there, but instead I find myself looking at the hem of a slightly tattered robe. My heart slams straight through the canyon floor.

I look up and straight into the glowing eyes of a crimson-hooded, fire-wielding, sharp-toothed Wizzrobe.

A terrified scream rips from my throat before I can even comprehend what I'm seeing. In a fruitless effort to get as far away as possible from the horrifying monster, I trip over my own feet and land heavily in the dust with my back up against the decaying wall of the hut.

_My bow, where's my bow!?_

My arms won't move- I'm paralyzed with fear.

This must be the demon that burned this place to ground. And then it probably ate whoever was living here.

I just about pass out. I can't believe I only made it this far, that my life as a wanderer is about to come to an end before the sun hits noon.

I wait for the beast to raise its magic rod and turn me to ashes, but it doesn't move. I find enough strength to meet its eyes again and see something like amusement flash through them.

A spark of irrational anger ignites within me. "If you going to eat me, just do it!" I shout, almost immediately balk as I realize I've as good as taunted it.

Instead, the thing _scoffs_. I catch a glint of its teeth that were previously hidden by its robe.

"Really? I'm a spell-casting, fire wielding demon and you think I'm going to _eat _you?"

I just about faint again. "You- you _talked_," I manage to squeak out.

From my studies in the base, I knew that monsters did _NOT _talk. They growled and roared and squeaked and screeched but a monster _never _talked. Not in Hylian, at least.

A grating screech that must be a laugh escapes the Wizzrobe. "Quite the detective, aren't you?"

I must be going crazy.

_Monsters. Don't. Talk. _

With as much confidence as I can muster, I point at the monster and say, "You're a hallucination. Wizzrobes don't talk."

This time, the Wizzrobe rolls its eyes. "Sure, sure. And, unrelated, but do you live under a rock? You're acting like you've never been outside."

My cheeks heat under my mask as I realize how ironic it is that I _do _live under a rock. Or, I did.

The fear and adrenaline coursing through me gives me enough strength to stand back up and try to meet the monster's terrifying, glowing eyes. "That's none of your business. And- and it doesn't matter whether I did or not. That d-doesn't change the fact monsters don't speak Hylian!" I snap, internally cringing at the trembling of my voice.

"Fair enough. But this one does," drawls the monster, a small wisp of smoke escaping from behind the hood half-covering its face.

"That-that's not possible," I stammer. "It's not even proven that Wizzrobes have the mental capacity to speak _any _language-"

The Wizzrobe lets out an indignant snort. "Well, you're witnessing right now that _obviously _we do. You're lucky I'm only mildly offended, or you'd already be a little blackened around the edges."

I blanch. I'm playing a very dangerous game here, and my mouth is going to get me killed.

But the frustrating part is that that's exactly what it is to the Wizzrobe- a game. I can feel it toying with me. If it really wanted me dead, I'd already be gone- it's obviously just playing with me.

As I try and this of something to say, the glint of sunlight against metal in my peripheral vision catches my attention. I glance over and see that it's my sickle.

_That's it! _

I can't draw my bow fast enough to shoot, especially with how close the thing is standing, but if I grab the sickle before it knows what's happening, I'll probably be able to graze it- at the very least, scare it off. I move my foot ever so slightly towards the weapon.

"...anyways, I'm not going to eat you, as you stupidly assumed before. It's hard to eat much of anything with such unwieldy teeth," the Wizzrobe continues.

I didn't realize it was still talking.

"So, why bother to teach yourself Hylian?" I ask, trying to stall. Another inch closer to the blade.

"I'll pretend you're genuinely interested," it starts.

Now that I'm more conscious and less running on adrenaline, I try to take in smaller details about the monster. It's carrying a dangerous looking wand in its left hand. It must be a Fire Rod.

"It's a lot of fun to scare the ghosts out of humans wandering around, like you."

There's just a hint of femininity in its voice. Do Wizzrobes even have genders?

I'm so close now, I can almost touch the weapon with my foot.

"Also, it comes in handy. Communication is key, and sometimes… well, other Wizzrobes aren't always the best company."

I'm finally close enough to the sickle. All I have to do is lean down, grab it, and bring it back up against the monster…

My hand twitches before I'm ready and I know I've made a mistake.

The Wizzrobe is far too perceptive and its eyes dart to the slight movement of my hand and then to the blade on the ground. I can tell by the way its eyes crease it has a wicked smile on its face.

"Ooh, what's this? You humans and your toys-"

Before she- no, _it_\- can finish, I dive for the blade. I hear a strange sound, something I can only describe as a sparkle, and my hands close around empty air.

_Where did it go?!_

Both the sickle and the Wizzrobe have disappeared. I push myself up from where I'm sprawled on the ground and whip around.

The Wizzrobe is leaning against the burned wall of the shack, my sickle hanging by the handle from one of her- _no, ITS_\- grotesquely long fingers. "What, is this yours?" it scoffs.

I freeze. I'm weaponless against an incredibly dangerous monster.

The Wizzrobe sighs. "Alright, look. This was fun at first, but now it's getting boring. I don't really _want _to kill you, because I've got semi-standard morals and killing for fun is pretty low. But if you're going to try to kill _me_, that's going to be a problem."

This makes me pause. Beneath the Wizzrobe's drawling growl, I can hear something shockingly like… sincerity. She's telling the truth.

"And perhaps it could benefit both of us," she continues. "You obviously don't know your way around. You've been wandering for, what, a couple hours now?"

"What?! How do you-"

She cuts me off again. "On the other hand, I know my way around almost every nook and cranny of Hyrule. I could help you out there."

There's a pause. I see her eyes crease and I know she's smiling again under that Hylia-forsaken hood.

"And for me… It's always better to travel with an ally of the blood moon."

Her words send an involuntary shudder through me.

I weigh my options. I could say no, and she'd most likely leave me here, alone. I have no idea which way is back to the base and I'll die of heat exhaustion before anything else. If I go with her… who knows what will happen. But it's probably better than shrivelling up and dying in the canyons. And if she tries to backstab me, I'll be ready. I hope.

I let out a gusty sigh. "Fine. I'll- I'll go with you."

"Ah," she says, clapping her hands together. The sickle slides off her fingers and bounces to a stop in front of me.

I carefully crouch down to grab it, not once taking my eyes off the Wizzrobe. "But I get to choose where we go."

She shrugs. "Fair enough. I don't really have a destination in mind. But we _do_ have to make sure we get Vandoren along the way."

I falter for a moment. "I- who?"

"Vandoren," she says plainly, as if that should explain it. "Oh, that reminds me. I'm Hilda." She holds out her hand towards me.

It's evident I'm supposed to shake it. I hesitate, then simply say, "Zeya." I hold out my hand as well and she grabs it. I can't suppress another shudder as I stare at her hand over mine, each finger the length of my entire hand alone.

Hilda snorts at how I flinch. "Nice to meet you. This way." She turns and pads off before I can say anything else.

Bewildered, still comprehending the fact I just _touched _a monster and lived to tell the tale, I hurry after her.

I follow after Hilda as best I can, although her floatiness and loping gait lets her easily levitate right over rocks and larger cracks in the canyons, whereas I'm forced to scramble after her with embarrassing clumsiness. So much for being a skilled, swift assassin.

We finally reach the edge of one of the massive canyon walls where Hilda gestures at a group of rocky outcroppings that can be used as handholds so I can climb down. It takes me a moment to get my bearings on the rocks- I only almost plummet to what might be my death once or twice- but finally I've touched down on the sandy ground of the canyon. My heart is thumping like crazy at I stare around at my surroundings.

"Er, have you ever been down in canyons or do you just really like dirt?" Hilda asks, jolting me from my swirling thoughts as I stick my feet in the sand. Her question has less bite and more curiosity than usual.

"Oh. Um, yeah. I've- I've never really been down here," I say in a small voice, embarrassed at how much I don't know and how much I've never seen despite being seventeen.

I wait for Hilda's jeering laughter, but it never comes. I risk a glance at her and just find her staring at me thoughtfully.

She blinks once as if she's snapping out a daze and says, "Well, that's no problem. You'll see some more of Hyrule soon enough."

She looks back and forth, then points in the direction to the right of us. "Walk that way. If Vandoren stayed where I told him to, he should be by that gnarled old tree across from the Bokoblin settlement."

I pale a bit. "Bo- Bokoblins? Aren't those dangerous?"

Hilda rolls her eyes. "They're _bokoblins,_ Zeya. They're too dumb to tell up from down." She heads off down the canyon without a second glance.

I follow, not really having a choice but feeling annoyance bubble in my chest regardless.

After still more walking (my feet feel like they're going to fall off), I finally catch sight of a large wooden structure stretching upwards from the ground. It takes me a moment to realize it's actually a massive, leafless tree with wooden platforms built onto it. I try not to let my unease show as we move closer to it.

Hilda doesn't give it a second glance as we pass, but I can see the lumpy shapes of Bokoblins lazing in the afternoon sun out of the corner of my eye.

If they notice us, one of them we'll sound the alarm and we'll be swarmed… And yet not a single noise comes from the settlement as we finally move away from it.

"See, that wasn't bad at all," snorts Hilda. "Or did a big bad Bokoblin come and nibble your feet when I wasn't looking?"

I try not to let my disdain show in my body language but I'm tired of her smart remarks. I'm about to snap something back when I notice Hilda stiffen.

I frown, looking at the small, spindly tree in front of us. There's nobody in sight, so what's the problem.

_Ohhh. That _is _the problem. _

Whoever this Vandoren is obviously isn't here.

She moves a bit closer to the tree, her eyes darting back and forth. She's muttering in something that definitely isn't Hylian.

I open my mouth in question when suddenly, faster than I can process, she whips her arm out across my chest and pulls us both into the shadow of the tree.

I don't dare move, or even breathe as we wait, motionless, for Hylia-knows-what. Finally, I hear the noise of what I can only describe as sparkling footsteps that sound nearly identical to Hilda's.

_More Wizzrobes? _

I wait for Hilda to let out a sigh of relief and drag me back out into the sunlight. Instead, she tenses even more and pulls us back farther into the shadows.

My back is pressed uncomfortably against the canyon wall. I tilt my head slightly to the left so I can see through the mess of dead branches.

On the other side of the tree, there are three more Wizzrobes. Two of them, one with a blue hood and one with a yellow one, stand side by side and look down at the other one, who has a yellow hood.

Hilda inhales sharply next to me. Does she recognize them? They all look the same to me.

I hear a strange noise, something indescribably between guttural and squeaky that I couldn't describe well enough if I tried. It takes me a moment to realize that's the Wizzrobes _talking _to each other.

Hilda still has her arm locked over my chest as she watches the other Wizzrobes motionlessly. It never occured to me Wizzrobes might be territorial. Maybe this isn't Hilda's territory and that's why we're hiding. I want to ask, but I'm scared to give us away- I know the spell-casting monsters have powerful, deadly magic.

Finally, the blue and yellow-hooded monsters turn away and disappear down the canyon road, out of sight.

The remaining yellow Wizzrobe wanders towards the foot of the tree. It gets distracted by a tiny bug crawling along the ground and crouches down to poke at it with its wand.

I can almost feel the rolling of Hilda's eyes that accompanies the heavy sigh she breathes.

Suddenly, she disappears completely and I fall forward, landing with a hearty '_oof!' _on the ground.

_Curse that stupid monster! _

I push myself into a sitting position and try and get most of the dust off my outfit. I'm so absorbed in brushing myself off, I don't notice the shadow of the yellow Wizzrobe that has suddenly come to stand over me.

I look up and try not to squeak in fear.

Unlike Hilda, this one's hood is pulled down far enough to reveal its wicked grin. Its yellow eyes watch me with curiosity.

"Hilda!" I shout reflexively, praying she'll hear me from wherever she teleported off too and care enough to come save me-

"Human!" squawks the Wizzrobe in front of me triumphantly.

I freeze out of surprise and fear for the hundredth time today.

Suddenly, there's a sparkling sound and Hilda appears, yanking the other monster back by its hood. It squeaks indignantly, but doesn't resist.

"Well done," Hilda says flatly. "That's the first time I've heard coherent Hylian from you."

I scoff, about to argue that I've been talking clearly the entire time but it suddenly hits me that _she's not talking to me. _I stare in shock and bewilderment at the other Wizzrobe.

Hilda catches my bemused expression and snorts. "Oh. I guess I should roll the introductions. Zeya, this Vandoren. Vandoren, Zeya."

Vandoren rolls the 'z' sound on his tongue a couple times before shouting, "Zeya!"

"Hush!" Hilda shushes. "Not so loud."

Vandoren mutters something in Wizzrobe and Hilda nods. Turning back to me, she says, "I'm trying to teach Vandoren Hylian. He's nowhere near fluent, so you'll have to bear with us. Although, I do think exposure helps, so just talk to him if you feel the need to chatter somebody's ear off."

It's my turn to roll my eyes. "Yeah, sure," I mutter, the fear of the encounter already wearing off and being replaced with the usual annoyance.

Hilda turns to Vandoren and begins chattering as if I suddenly don't exist. My frown deepens as Vandoren chatters back, pointing first at the tree and then down the canyon path in the direction of the earlier Wizzrobes. Hilda's eyes narrow and she growls something, her hands gesturing wildly as she speaks.

I feel a little defensive about not being able to understand them. For all I know, they could be gossiping about me.

"_Ahem." _I clear my throat loudly.

They both pause and look at me for a moment. Hilda squeaks one last thing to Vandoren and then turns to me.

She blinks once as if she's surprised to see me standing there. "We'll be going then," she says and starts off in the direction away from the gnarled tree and the Bokoblin settlement.

For a few moments I stand there, utterly bewildered, before remembering my ticket out of here is walking away and quickly hurry after the two monsters.

"So, why we going this way? Isn't this the same direction the other Wizzrobes went in?"

Hilda nods. "Yeah, but it's also the fastest way out of the canyons. And we want to get out of here, don't we?"

I don't give her the satisfaction of nodding back to her snarky comment. I glance over at Vandoren, on the other side of me, but he's staring at his feet as we walk.

After a couple more minutes, a question from earlier blinks back to life in my mind like a lightning bug. "Oh! That's right. I was going to ask, why did we hide from those other Wizzrobes? I thought maybe you guys were territorial but they didn't attack Vandoren. Or is it because Vandoren is young?" I don't know that for sure, but his slightly smaller size and childish personality makes me assume so.

Hilda's gaze darkens for a moment and she tugs on her hood. A thin wisp of smoke escapes in the already warm afternoon air.

"Well," she starts. Even in the short time I've known her, I've never heard her sound so… _hesitant. _

"Just because we're all the same species doesn't mean we all get along. As I'm sure even you have been able to see that I'm not exactly the most sociable monster, sometimes my actions do tend to start scuffles."

"So you pick fights with other Wizzrobes?" I ask, unimpressed.

"No!" Pipes up Vandoren. "The others just don't like that she…" He trails off as if he can't think of the right word.

"They don't like that I didn't conform to their social statuses," Hilda finishes shortly.

Her tone heavily implies the conversation is over, but I'm still confused. _Social statuses? _Do they live in packs? Was Hilda a low-ranking pack member that overstepped her boundaries?

I'm so lost in thought I don't even notice the ground below me has become soft and green and springy like- "Grass!" I gasp. I look up to see sky, and nothing but empty sky, painted red and orange by the fiery sunset with swirling clouds like accents on the world's most beautiful canvas. There aren't any sweeping canyon walls to block my view, or suffocating walls to hide the sun as it sinks below the surface.

"Pretty!" Vandoren agrees with my thoughts.

Hilda watches the setting sun with an unreadable expression on her face. "It is. I guess I haven't been outside the canyons in s-"

"_Watch out!" _

A sharp bellow slices through Hilda's sentence before an _actual _blade flies through the air and slices right through her.

I almost scream in horror and whip around, expecting to see her lying in pieces, but there's no trace of Hilda. Frantically, I turn to my other side to see that Vandoren has disappeared as well.

I pray they used their teleportation to get to safety and unsheath my sickle. "Show yourself!" I shout with as much bravery as I can muster, but I don't have to.

A muscular figure is already barrelling down the canyon towards me. As they get closer, I see that they're also of the Yiga Clan- clad in red and armed with powerful weapons. Their sword is about four times the size of my sickle and could probably slice me clean in half.

It takes me a minute, but then I remember. "_You've gotta be kidding…" _I mutter under my breath. Did the clan send somebody to come get me because I ran away without saying anything? There's no way I'm getting dragged back the base to be publicly humiliated.

I tense to run as soon as the other warrior gets any closer, but they notice my stance and slow down.

"Stop!" he commands.

_You're the one running full speed at me, _I want to counter, but I hold my tongue.

"I am not your enemy. There were monsters! Wizzrobes!"

I stare at him in disbelief for a moment. I hadn't stopped to think about how _other _people might react to seeing me with Hilda and Vandoren. "No, I think you've got the wrong-" I try, but he cuts me off.

"They were flanking you, ready to attack! You would've been zapped to death and then burned to a crisp. Goddess Hylia, they probably would've eaten you if I hadn't spotted them, thank the stars-"

''_ENOUGH!" _I shout, finally able to get his attention. "First of all, Wizzrobes don't eat people! And second of all, I knew those Wizzrobes and you might as well have killed one!"

It's his turn to be confused. "How would you know that? And no! Whatever they did, acting all innocent to try and convince you otherwise-"

"They talked to me, that's how I know!" I snap, forgetting that'll probably make me sound insane.

Sure enough, I can almost see his wide-eyed expression through his mask. "Um, look, kid. It's getting dark, I think you're just a little overtired, and you've obviously traveled pretty far from the base. Why don't we just go back?"

I shake my head furiously. "No way. I ran away from there in the first place and it took me all day to get out of here. You can't make me go back. And I'm not crazy!" I turn around and cup my hands to my mask, ready to shout for Hilda and Vandoren to show themselves.

"Hey, stop that!" The soldier grabs my arm and turns me back towards him.

"Look," he starts, leaning down a little so we're at the same eye level. "If you don't start shouting and attracting every monster in a mile radius to us, I won't take you back to base. I respect your decision to leave if you really desired."

I stiffen, realizing just how much I said during my little rant. After a long pause, I finally say, "Fine. But let go of me."

He jumps like he just realized he's still clutching my arm and pulls back, dusting off his suit awkwardly. I cross my arms and stare out to the right, at the edge of the canyon and the grassland around it.

After a few more moments of awkward silence, he asks, "If you don't mind me asking… where exactly are you running away to?"

I think for a moment and then shrug. "Dunno. I was just going to become a wanderer, I guess."

He doesn't seem surprised. "Fair enough. I've always kinda wanted to do that. It's pretty boring here, being forced to sit and keep watch at the edge of the canyons."

He crouches down and takes a seat in the gently swaying grass. The sun has almost entirely disappeared behind the horizon.

I hesitate for a few moments and then take a seat as well. I strain my ears to hear sparkling footsteps or gentle squeaking, but it's become silent on the grassland.

I desperately hope Hilda and Vandoren didn't desert me entirely- as creepy as Wizzrobes are, those two were the closest thing to friends I'd ever had.

"Oh. I just realized I never told you my name- Silas. Silas Draven." Silas holds out his hand for me to shake.

It hits me that I was never really given a last name. Hopefully he picks up on that and doesn't think I'm try to hide something. "I… Zeya. It's just Zeya." I take his hand and we shake.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Just Zeya," he says, I can hear a hint of a smile in his voice.

He pushes himself to his feet. "Good luck out there. Be careful. See something amazing for me." I can hear the slight disappointment in his voice and I realize he must not be happy staying with the clan either.

I stand up as well as he turns to walk away. "Bye." It sounds awkward and half-hearted. I stand there, weighing my options as he gets farther and farther away.

_I can't just leave him here. I know how it feels. _

"Wait!" I shout. He stops and turns back to face me. "Silas! Um," I start, not exactly sure what to say. "Would you… maybe- want to come with us?" I manage to squeeze out. I don't mean to say 'us' but it comes out anyways. I'm still banking on the Wizzrobes not leaving.

He turns his head to look back at the canyons. "Well… I'd like to, but I shouldn't leave my watch. Er…" He trails off as if he's unsure of whether he should really stay here or not.

I shake my head. "Don't worry. If they're upset, they'll come find us. Or, they'll try." I grin. "And it never hurts to have someone with battle knowledge on them, does it?"

I'm secretly hoping Silas can teach me how to do some of the things I never learned- use spell tags, shoot a bow correctly, properly fight…

He considers for a moment more before walking back up to me and nodding. "Why not? It can be an adventure."

I smile again. "Yeah. It can." I turn, staring into the starry night, hoping to see just the flickering of a robe or a spark of lighting, but there's nothing.

"Oh, Zeya," Silas says. I turn back to him. "What did you mean by 'come with _us_' before?"

I start to try and explain the whole Wizzrobe thing with sounding once again like a madwoman, but somebody beats me to it.

"Hilda and Vandoren. Pleased to meet your acquaintance." We both spin around quickly to face the voice and I nearly gasp again- this time in delight- to see two familiar figures perched on the cliffside.

"You came back!" I cry.

Hilda snorts, gesturing with her wand. "Oh, please. We just had to make sure we weren't going to get sliced into pieces when we finally showed ourselves."

"Yep!" Vandoren chirps.

I turn to see Silas's reaction. He stone-still, most likely utterly shocked at the fact he was witnessing monsters speak Hylian. I hope he doesn't faint, because I definitely wouldn't be able to catch him if he fell.

He finally turns to me, speaking in a low, frantic voice. "What the hell is going on? Why are they talking? Am I going crazy? _What did you do to me?!" _

I place my hands on his shoulders and push him back a little, trying to calm him down. "I didn't do anything, Silas. Hilda taught herself and Vandoren Hylian. They won't hurt you, I swear it."

"Unless you hurt us first," Hilda drawls.

I scowl at her. Behind me, I hear a sparkling sound and turn to see Vandoren standing next to Silas, regarding him curiously.

The Yiga looks absolutely horrified, but I try my best to look stern to discourage him from drawing his weapon.

I walk towards them and gesture to the Wizzrobe. "Silas, this is Vandoren. He won't hurt you, like I said; he just wants to say hello."

Vandoren holds his hand out, mimicking the action Hilda once did to me. Silas stares anxiously at the outstretched hand for a moment. I hear him take a deep, shaky breath and clutch Vandoren's hand for a quick shake.

Vandoren squeaks something unintelligible that sounds happy. "I like you! You're cool."

Silas seems surprised. "Wha- you think _I'm _cool?"

"Obviously!" In the way he says it, it's obvious he's copying Hilda's language, as the words seem biting at first but there's not a trace of sarcasm in the way he uses them.

I almost laugh. The whole scene is endearing in a way- it's almost like watching the long-lost friends you never knew you had finally meeting. Even though I've known them all for less than a day, they all feel like friends. Maybe even family, if I knew what that felt like.

Hilda seems to read my mind. "How sweet. That Draven boy looks like the big-brotherly type- maybe he'll get Vandoren off my back for us."

Sure enough, Vandoren's already swarmed the poor soldier. He's currently bouncing circles around him and tugging at the massive sword strapped to his back. Silas doesn't seem to mind, though- he's gently scolding the young Wizzrobe, but I can hear the laughter in his voice.

Suddenly, a thin howl weaves through the night sky. I've never heard anything like it before. "What was that?" I ask nervously. "Wolves, probably," Hilda says calmly as if this isn't a problem. "They wouldn't dare attack a human unless said human was alone, and they're afraid of monsters." A wicked smile creeps over her face, showing even behind her hood. "Unless, of course, they're Wolfos, the mutant beasts rumored once to have been human that roam the forests at night, looking for unsuspecting prey-"

"Don't worry, Zeya," Silas interrupts. "Wolfos went extinct a long time ago. Hilda, it's no time for ghost stories."

Hilda rolls her eyes as if she can't stand the thought of the human telling her what to do. Well, actually, that's probably exactly the case.

"Well, it doesn't matter," I cut in quickly. "We should get moving regardless. We all want to leave the canyons behind, don't we?" Everyone mutters agreement.

"So then, where to?" Silas asks.

"Lanayru!" Vandoren says.

Hilda sighs. "Vandoren wants to go to Lanayru because of how much it rains. He really likes rain," she explains. "Vandoren, that's too far away. If you want to see rain, we should just go down to Faron instead. They have lots of wet jungle."

I frown. "Well, I was thinking we go to Akala," I say. The fleeting pictures I'd seen of the area were beautiful, with lots of golden-red trees and seaside cliffs.

Hilda snorts in contempt. "Are you mad? That's even farther than Lanayru! If we even make it to Central Hyrule, we're more likely to die from exhaustion than Guardians. That's why I'm suggesting _Faron, _because it's closer and we can stop there."

I can feel my frustration rising. I just want to get out of here and see something pretty for once. I open my mouth to snap something back that will surely turn the situation into a full blown argument, but Silas interrupts before I can.

"Um, guys? If I've studied the maps correctly, we can just keep walking down this trail and we'll find a bridge. If we get across that, we can continue to a nearby stable and stay there for the night. It's getting late, so most people won't be awake. We can go around the back and sleep there, so we're safe. Right?"

Everyone pauses and looks at each other for a moment. It's a simple, easy, and surprisingly reasonable plan.

I curse myself for overlooking something so straightforward not thinking of something smarter to show Hilda up.

"I guess that would be a good plan," the aforementioned Wizzrobe agrees. "Maybe you do have a brain in you yet, boy."

Silas seems slightly confused, but nods anyways.

"I'd do that," I volunteer.

Everyone turns to Vandoren, who still looks a little hurt we aren't going directly to Lanayru. After a moment, he speaks up. "Does it rain there?"

"Sometimes," Silas offers. "If we're lucky."

Vandoren perks up. "I guess I'm pretty lucky," he says cheerfully. "Let's go!"

He skips off in the direction of the bridge before any of us can stop him.

Hilda glances at us before turning to follow him, her footsteps leaving sparkling ripples in the night air.

Silas and I exchange a glance, and I smile underneath my mask. Perhaps this won't be so bad after all. As I chase after the Wizzrobes, I feel like maybe this will be less of an aimless wandering, and more of the beginning of a legendary adventure.


End file.
